Jon “Bones” Jones, the UFC heavyweight champion, last fought at UFC 309, defeating Stipe Miocic, the former two-time title holder of the division. After the third-round TKO victory, Jones expressed little interest in a matchup against Tom Aspinall, the interim title holder.
Jones had recently disclosed to MMA personality Kamil Gadzhiev on May 19 that he is done with the sport, hinting at retirement. However, he later sent mixed signals during a social media conversation with a fan on May 21, implying he is not.
Joe Rogan’s Theory About Jon Jones’ Return
UFC color commentator Joe Rogan has been a vocal supporter of Jones’ status as one of the best despite his troubles outside the Octagon. On episode No. 2325 of the “Joe Rogan Experience,” guest Aaron Rodgers asked the UFC color commentator what he thinks about Jones’ potential return.
“I don’t know, I hope so, but I don’t know if he does. He doesn’t have to,” Rogan said. “He’s a legend, he’s also 37. At what point in time does a fighter say enough is enough, especially a natural fighter? And if you are natural and you have to be today, they’re just testing you way too much.”
Victor Conte, a known steroid supplier and founder of BALCO, had once insinuated on Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show that Jones had done steroids before his fight against Daniel Cormier at UFC 182.
“These are highly suspicious for Jon Jones, in my opinion,” Conte said of Jones’ testosterone-to-epitestosterone (T/E) ratio. Jones’ testosterone levels were 1.8 ng/mL, 0.59 ng/mL, and 4.9 ng/mL in the three tests he took, while Cormier’s were .42 and .47.
Looking closely at the numbers, Conte pointed out the 80% deviation in Jones’ result, while it was just 8% for Cormier. The 75-year-old believes anything more than a 30% deviation is a sign that steroids were used.
“This is the reason that sophisticated anti-doping officials do target testing. So based on what we see here, my opinion is Jon Jones should be on a very short leash and should be random tested here until they sort out why he has these anomalies,” Conte added.
Rogan had already spoken with Jeff Novitzky, the UFC’s senior vice president of athlete health and performance, about the use of PEDs in MMA. The 57-year-old disclosed to Rodgers that Novitzky openly admitted there are still ways to circumvent the UFC’s random testing program.
After UFC 182, Jones had trouble with doping agencies before UFC 200, UFC 214, and UFC 232. Preluding UFC 200 in July 2016, Jones tested positive for two banned substances, clomiphene and letrozole, resulting in a one-year suspension from USADA, then-anti-doping partner of the UFC.
After defeating Cormier again at UFC 214, “Bones” tested positive for Turinabol, resulting in the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) changing the win to a no-contest. Jones was then handed a 15-month suspension.
An ultra-trace amount of Turinabol was found again in Jones before his fight against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 in October 2018. However, he wasn’t punished as doctors attributed it to a long-term pulsing effect. Jones went on to win the fight against Gustafsson.
If Jones can stay out of trouble involving his past events, a return to a major UFC event could be on the horizon. That would especially be the case when it comes to defending his heavyweight title.